Skoda Enters the EV Game : Had it launched in 2024, the Enyaq iV would have been Skoda’s first electric offering in the country. Although the launch was delayed quite a bit, Skoda India brand director, Petr Janeba, has confirmed in our sister publication, Autocar Professional, that “Our first electric SUV is coming by September latest”
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What will Skoda’s first EV in India be like?
Interestingly, while talking about the Sri Lankan launch, Janeba didn’t confirm whether the Enyaq iV, which has been in plans for India since 2023, will be the first EV from Skoda here after all. The Enyaq has been spotted a couple of times at the Bharat Mobility Show and has also been spied on a few occasions testing on our roads. However, when the brand was re-evaluating its EV strategy for the Indian market, the Enyaq received a mid-lifecycle update internationally. And no, it’s not even the refreshed Enyaq that’s coming here.
Now we have the Elroq, which, like the MEB, is built on the MEB platform. So the Elroq, Enyaq and the Enyaq Coupe will all be three cars that sit on the same platform. Janeba was quoted: “The-call-in the end what out of those three is also coming to India is pending, will be taken after the EV policy from the government is in place in March 2025.”As showcased in the recent Auto Expo, a particular car that could also be on the cards for India is a compact SUV – the Elroq.
The EV policy, proposed in March last year, had suggested a much lower customs duty of 15 percent on the import of limited number of units of electric vehicles (whose cost, insurance and freight value is USD 35,000 and above), on the condition that the carmaker invest at least Rs 4,150 crore and established an EV manufacturing unit here. The import duty on such cars, if paid outright, is 70-100 percent. As part of this policy, the companies must also achieve a certain level of localisation.
It is said to be still in the process of reviewing the draft guidelines on the new EV policy, which is likely to be finalised by March 2025, after consultation with stakeholders.So the Elroq, unveiled in October 2021 and at 4.49 meters long, is a little smaller than the 4.65- meter Enyaq. It was also displayed to the public during this year’s Auto Expo.
The official line on the EV policy very much seems to be sit and wait, and whether it’s the Elroq or the Enyaq, it will arrive as a full import. The carmaker has already started working on a localised, India-specific EV platform in conjunction with Volkswagen for its future products.
Launched in Q2 2025 — Skoda Kodiaq
Meanwhile, Skoda is also preparing to launch the second-gen Kodiaq in India which is due for Q2 of 2025. “The production of the second-gen Kodiaq will start right at the end of February,” Janeba said. The new-gen Kodiaq will be imported as completely knocked-down units (CKD) for local assembly. The first-gen Kodiaq (in the loaded L&K variant) is priced from Rs 40.99 lakh (ex-showroom) and so we expect a slight premium on this for the new-gen SUV.